As You Wish
by At A Venture
Summary: Willow and Xander, alone in a basement. The possibilities are endless. PreSeason 1


As You Wish

"I don't know about this, Xander. We could get in trouble."

"What are you talkin' about, Will? Where's your sense of adventure?"

"I think I left it in the closet. How about I just go and get it…"

"Hold it! Here, we'll leave the lights on. Then it won't be so scary."

"Are you sure it works with the lights on?"

"Of course it does!"

"Well, okay, but all the lights. Promise? All the lights."

"Got it."

Willow sat reluctantly on the cool paved floor of the Harris family basement. Even the wool tights she'd worn under her favorite pinafore weren't enough to keep a cold shiver from tingling up her backside and raising the fire-red hairs on the back of her neck. Beside her, Xander Harris peeked down at the Ouija board, his hands fidgeting with the pointing device. Pieces of plastic clacked nervously against one another as he fitted the pointer with the clear eye and set it down on the board.

"Okay, it says you're supposed to put it at the bottom of the board, and then we place the tips of our fingers on the pointer."

"Got it. Are you ready?"

"No."

"Good, me too."

"But Xander…"

"C'mon Will. All the lights are on. Besides, I don't believe in all that ghost mumbo jumbo, do you?"

"Well, then why are we doing this?"

"Because, Will. We don't have lives. I owe you so much money for the amount of times my Oregon Trail family has gotten cholera, I'll never be able to pay you back."

"You'll never have to pay me back if we don't play this."

"Tempting…awfully tempting…but I really want to try this thing out. It's been sitting here since my mom got it in the 70s, and I want to see if it works."

Together they placed their fingers on opposite edges of the little plastic device. Willow glanced from the glowing bulbs, buried beneath hideous floral lampshades, to the board, and back again. At last, her eyes landed on Xander's determined half-grin. He'd stuck his tongue out the side of his mouth, and it wiggled as he concentrated. After a moment of unadulterated study, he flicked his eyes to Willow.

"Now what?"

"You ask it a question, and the spirits are supposed to answer you."

"Oh, like a Magic 8 Ball?"

"Yes, except it probably won't say "Try again later.""

"Okay, I've got a question. Will Cordelia Chase ever fall off the face of the earth?"

"Xander!"

"You know you're thinking it."

"I wouldn't…I mean, she's not exactly the nicest person, but…"

"She's a first class bitch."

"Xander!"

"Wait wait, I think it's moving! Look!"

Plastic grated against the shiny surface of the board as the pointer moved. The printed letters moved swiftly through the magnified eye, as though they were swallowed whole and spit back out again as the device moved toward its intended target. Abruptly, it came to a stop on the letter A, lingering for a second before moving on. Willow spoke out each letter as the eye stopped, held, and then moved on. A minute later, it fell to rest on the letter H, and ceased.

"As…you…wish."

"As I…what? I didn't wish it. I just wanted to know!"

"Xander…I think we should go back to Oregon Trail."

"Maybe I could wish for it to make the entire cheerleading squad date me."

"Or you could wish that it never existed and we were upstairs studying right now."

"No one would wish that, Will. Not even you."

"Anything's better than this."

"Put your fingers back on it. I've got a good wish."

"But…"

"Please, Will. I promise. One wish, and then we'll go play Oregon Trail until I owe you my first born."

"Okay, okay."

"Here we go. I wish Cordelia Chase would go out with me."

"Ew, Xander,"

"Just so I can humiliate her, you know?"

"Sure. After you kiss her and take her to the Bronze, and after she lets you drive her car."

"Do you think she would?"

"No."

"Look, look, it's moving!"

Once again the pointer began to slide across the game board, inching toward the letter A at top speed. Abruptly, Willow lifted her hands from the device and threw them up in the air. Her stockings zapped her with a bolt of static as she shuffled to her feet, shoving her pinafore down and smoothing it over her knees. Xander blinked, lifting his hands off the board as well and scrambling to his feet as Willow tackled the concrete steps up to the first floor of the house. Their voices drifted lightly through the basement until the door slammed behind Xander.

On the floor, the Ouija pointer lay discarded, leaning on one side where it had been tilted up by Xander's sudden movements. The lit basement fell silent and still, and far above the ceiling, the teens' footsteps rose another floor, heading for the bedroom. A light click shot through the quietude as the pointer fell back down on all fours against the board, and continued sliding across the letters. In a few seconds, it landed on the letter H and came to a halt.

End.


End file.
